Gas-liquid multiphase reactions, such as hydrogenation, carbonylation, and hydroformylation, are commonly used in the syntheses of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals.
Gas-liquid reactions, typically performed in stirred batch reactors with a gaseous reactant pressurized therein, often encounter mass transport limitations due to small specific interfacial areas. Microreactors have been developed for gas-liquid multiphasic transformations to enhance mass transport.
Yet, there are several drawbacks to current microreactors for gas-liquid reactions. First, catalyst recovery and recycle remains a challenge, especially where the products, unreacted starting materials, and catalyst co-exist in the same liquid phase. Moreover, catalyst deactivation shortens the shelf life of the reactors. Finally, the rate of mass transport is limited for reactions beyond a biphasic setting, e.g., triphasic reactions.
There is a need to develop a new reactor system that does not have the above-mentioned drawbacks.